Tangled Wireline Cable

Evaluative Case Study

When a wireline tool is lost or abandoned in a well, the wireline cable is often cut and falls into the well. Multiple fishing or diagnostic runs can tangle the wireline into a bird’s nest that complicates further intervention.

VR90 X-ray imaging takes the mystery out of such situations by providing clear images of downhole obstructions in any well fluid.

Running the VR90 imaging tool between each fishing attempt allows an operator to identify wireline snarls, such as the one shown in the 2D image and 3D reconstruction (middle and bottom right), obtained at Visuray’s test facility. The high contrast of the cable makes the tangled ball easily distinguishable from a simple coil of cable or other type of obstruction.